Bill's DIY AIO 10 Gallon - Something out of nothing

[Billbug68]

Hey all! So I've been meaning to start a thread for this tank, and seeing that it's turning out quite well, I've decided to share the build.

This tank started out as a standard 10g setup with just an Aquaclear HOB, heater, etc... Well, I decided to move everything over to another tank for a while and started dreaming up a better functioning, easier to care for system.

I started by de-rimming and completely disassembling my standard 10 gallon tank, cleaning it all up, reworking the dimensions, and sanding all the edges for a clean rounded off look. Basically, it's a 10 gallon turned on its side, with what used to be the original front panel trimmed and placed where the open top once was, again becoming the new front panel. So the new dimensions of the tank are now 20" long x 12 1/4" wide x 10 1/4" tall. The added space from front to back allowed me to add a false wall 3" away from the back glass while keeping a decent amount of room in the display, creating my new AIO.

So far, here is what I have for equipment:

Tank: Modified 10 gallon
Tank Mat: Mr Aqua tank mat cut to size
Lighting: 18" Current Orbit Marine LED
Return Pump: Eheim Compact 1000 rated for up to 265 GPH
Skimmer: Tunze 9001
Heater: Aqueon Pro 50w

Some pictures and details:



For the return I used a Y and two flat nozzles to hopefully get flow through the whole tank without using a powerhead



The result of careful taping prior to silicone.



Here you can see my back chambers with most of the equipment tucked inside. Dual overflows with removable egg crate for mechanical and chemical filtration to rest on. The center chamber houses the rest of the equipment. Still need to work on my auto top off.



Just a quick top down view.

I still have a lot of finish work to button up to give this setup a nice clean finished appearance. I'll definitely keep this updated as work moves a long. I plan on working on the screen top today, so that might get posted later on.

I hope you all like it, any advice is welcome as this is my first AIO!



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[Fishperson]

It looks fancy and well done, but what is an AIO?

[coralbandit]

Very nice All In One!
Can't wait to see where this goes!
I didn't see return location in pics(very good quality also!).
Quality

[Billbug68]

Originally Posted by Fishperson

It looks fancy and well done, but what is an AIO?

Thank you! AIO = all in one

Originally Posted by coralbandit

Very nice All In One!
Can't wait to see where this goes!
I didn't see return location in pics(very good quality also!).
Quality

Thank you! The return is in the center towards the top. If you look at the top down picture you can kind of see it.



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[Macscale]

Very well thought out!
Sleek, pretty, modern!
Will be following along.

[coralbandit]

Originally Posted by Billbug68

Thank you! The return is in the center towards the top. If you look at the top down picture you can kind of see it.



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I see!
Thought it was clip light!
Nice with lockline.

[Billbug68]

Originally Posted by Macscale

Very well thought out!
Sleek, pretty, modern!
Will be following along.

Thanks! Glad to have you here!


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[FishDaAx]

Tank looks awesome! Can't wait to see it set up! Will be following along


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[paul87]

I love what you did with that standard 10 gal! Very nice work. Looks like it should make a very good little nano. Tagging along on this one.

[Billbug68]

Thanks everyone! While I do have confidence in my work, I haven't done a long term water test yet, just a few hours testing out the pump and overflows, and checking for leaks... I'm getting really tempted to just move the rock in later today and hope for the best... Aye...


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[Billbug68]

Letting it run...



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[paul87]

So all turn out well with the test run? That is a sweet little tank, you should be proud of it.

[coralbandit]

This really is a killer build!
It looks sweet in the test run!
What if we turned a 55 on it's side???????
I think I really like those dimensions!
What an inspiration this thread is!

[Billbug68]

Thanks you guys!

I let it run for about 2 hours. This is the third time I've tested it. Spent the last few hours getting everything moved over. Just waiting on the water to clear up now... Pics coming soon... Maybe tomorrow though... Haha


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[paul87]

Originally Posted by Billbug68

Thanks you guys!

I let it run for about 2 hours. This is the third time I've tested it. Spent the last few hours getting everything moved over. Just waiting on the water to clear up now... Pics coming soon... Maybe tomorrow though... Haha


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Awesome! What are you gonna use for lighting over it?

[Billbug68]

Originally Posted by paul87

Awesome! What are you gonna use for lighting over it?

For now, I'm using the current orbit marine led.


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[Billbug68]

Still cloudy, and corals are still a bit pissed... Here's the FTS



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[Macscale]

Man that is cool!

[paul87]

Originally Posted by Billbug68

Still cloudy, and corals are still a bit pissed... Here's the FTS



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Very nicely done! I love the simple/clean look of it all!

[Billbug68]

Thanks all!

Well, my tunze 9001 skimmer is producing a TON of micro bubbles... Doing some reading and to a point it's normal during break in, but there are some other factors that I've read about that can cause it... Such as dechlorinater(which I used just incase there was any tap water present from rinsing the tank), possibly anything released by putty and glue(which I used for rocks and coral.)... Added a small bag of CPE that I had left, and will try to pick up some carbon tomorrow... as well as do a large water change. After the carbon runs for a few days I'll turn the skimmer back on and see if it helped or just try to wait out the micro bubbles...


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